I know I said my next post would explain a bit more about my actual PhD project, but as the kids have been home over the summer I’ve been finding it harder to focus on the academic reading so have compromised by reading other people’s musings on translation, and I wanted to share some (horribly self indulgent, sorry) thoughts on what I’ve read.

The books I’ve been poring over for the past couple of weeks are Daniel Hahn’s Catching Fire, and Jen Calleja’s Fair: The Life-Art of Translation, two titles that are only really comparable in that they are written by esteemed translators, and have translation as their subject matter. Catching Fire is Daniel Hahn’s translation diary, written while he was translating Chilean author Diamela Eltit’s novel Nunca el fuego jamás (Never did the Fire). The diary was live posted on the Charco Press website at the time and has since been published as a book.

Fair, on the other hand, is… well, I’m not sure how to describe it really. It’s essentially a guided tour through an imaginary book/art/fun fair, in which every stand/attraction represents some facet of the life of a translator. It’s sort of part memoir, part manifesto campaigning for translator visibility and fair pay (ooh, I wonder if there’s a double meaning in the title? Probably – she is a translator, after all, so no word will have gone unconsidered).

Whenever I read books about translation (or attend seminars, workshops, events…) I experience a strange rollercoaster of emotions. In many ways, both these books offer plenty of reassurance – Daniel Hahn’s first drafts look a lot like mine! Jen Calleja worries her German isn’t always up to scratch! – and there’s lots in both of them that any translator could relate to. But then the self doubt begins to creep in. These are both really well established, award-winning literary translators, how could I even think about comparing myself to them? They started young, pushed themselves, found a way to be in the right place at the right time, and had bucket loads of talent to smooth their path… I’m  always impressed at the way imposter syndrome can take hold of me, even when I’m sitting in my own home.

If you want a less egocentric review of these books, here goes: Catching Fire is a great little glimpse into the mind and working life of a translator. We see the text turn from a sketchy first draft to a polished translation, ready to be submitted for editing, and we get some fascinating insights into the challenges and decisions that went into that process. I’ve yet to read the resulting novel – although I bought it at the same time as the diary and spent a good week dithering over which to read first – but I’m confident it will be worth the wait.

Fair is almost a love letter to translation, explaining why she’s stuck with it despite all obstacles – low pay, poor recognition, unpredictable workloads – and I think is possibly more accessible to a non translator, although it’s hard to say really, given my personal situation. Perhaps I’ll lend them both to friends and feed back.

Anyway, with all three kids now back at school I’d probably better get on with some real work. More on my project next week!